Prescription medication · Lipopeptide Antibiotic

daptomycin

Also sold as Cubicin. Daptomycin treats complicated skin infections in adults and children ages 1-17.

Data updated 2026-05-15

8,426
FDA reportsLightly reported
3
InteractionsFew interactions
1
Recall record

What the data shows

daptomycin (Cubicin) is a prescription Lipopeptide Antibiotic, reported less often than most tracked drugs (8,426 FDA reports), with 3 documented drug interactions.

Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.

daptomycin (Cubicin) is a prescription Lipopeptide Antibiotic. Daptomycin treats complicated skin infections in adults and children ages 1-17.

Daptomycin is an antibiotic medicine. It fights certain bacterial infections in your body.

Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →

Drug Pricing (NADAC)

Generic Price

$17.94/unit

Generic Available

Yes (21 manufacturers)

Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →

Compare with Another Drug → Full Side Effects Report →

What it does

Daptomycin treats complicated skin infections in adults and children ages 1-17.

Common side effects

Diarrhea, Headache, Dizziness

Key warnings

Daptomycin can cause serious side effects.

The sections below are summarized in plain English from daptomycin's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.

How It Works

Daptomycin works by attaching to the cell membrane of bacteria. This causes the bacterial cell membrane to become unstable. The instability stops the bacteria from growing, eventually killing it.

Side Effects (from patient reports)

Based on 8,426 FDA adverse event reports.

Most-reported reactions

Adverse reactions in FAERS for daptomycin, by number of reports

reports

What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.

Source FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) As of 2025

Reports over time

Adverse-event reports filed for daptomycin each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).

05001,0001,500 20042007201020132016201920222025 1,169

Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.

Where daptomycin sits

daptomycin has more FDA adverse-event reports than 35% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.

fewest reports most reports

Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is daptomycin; the line is the median (50th percentile).

FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis

Detailed analysis of 8,426 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.

Total Reports

8,426

Reports Mentioning Death

1,184

14.1% of reports — not proof of cause

Hospitalization Reports

4,822

Top Indication

Product Used For Unknown Indication

Gender Distribution

Female 3,076 (39%)
Male 4,784 (61%)

Age Distribution

0–17 263
18–44 1,100
45–64 2,369
65–74 1,939
75+ 1,611

Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)

# Reaction Reports
3 ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY 527
4 PYREXIA 459
5 EOSINOPHILIC PNEUMONIA 418
6 RHABDOMYOLYSIS 336
7 EOSINOPHILIA 328
8 BLOOD CREATINE PHOSPHOKINASE INCREASED 327
9 DRUG REACTION WITH EOSINOPHILIA AND SYSTEMIC SYMPTOMS 322
10 NEUTROPENIA 270
11 RASH 255
13 THROMBOCYTOPENIA 250
14 INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE 231
15 PNEUMONITIS 224
16 DRUG INTERACTION 217
17 DYSPNOEA 214
18 CHILLS 207

Reactions in Death Reports

DEATH 160
MULTIPLE ORGAN DYSFUNCTION SYNDROME 127
SEPSIS 114
SEPTIC SHOCK 105
ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY 68
PNEUMONIA 63
THROMBOCYTOPENIA 57
EOSINOPHILIC PNEUMONIA 48
NEUTROPENIA 44
RESPIRATORY FAILURE 44

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY 395
PYREXIA 303
EOSINOPHILIC PNEUMONIA 284
EOSINOPHILIA 252
RHABDOMYOLYSIS 244
DRUG REACTION WITH EOSINOPHILIA AND SYSTEMIC SYMPTOMS 215
THROMBOCYTOPENIA 179
INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE 172
AGRANULOCYTOSIS 155
NEUTROPENIA 153

Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation

Serious Warnings

Daptomycin can cause serious side effects. It can cause allergic reactions, muscle problems (myopathy and rhabdomyolysis), and a type of pneumonia (eosinophilic pneumonia). It can also cause severe skin reactions, kidney problems, nerve damage, and diarrhea from C. difficile. Tell your doctor right away if you have any of these side effects.

Known Drug Interactions

moderate ezetimibe

Daptomycin Clinical Impact: Cases of rhabdomyolysis have been reported with simvastatin administered with daptomycin. Both ezetimibe and simvastatin and daptomycin can cause myopathy and rhabdomyolysis when given alone and the risk of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis may be increased by coadministration. Intervention: If treatment with daptomycin is required, consider temporarily suspending ezetimibe and simvastatin during the course of daptomycin treatment.

Mechanism: Both of these medicines can cause muscle damage as a side effect. Taking them together makes this risk even higher and can lead to a serious condition where muscle tissue breaks down.

moderate ezetimibe/simvastatin

Daptomycin Clinical Impact: Cases of rhabdomyolysis have been reported with simvastatin administered with daptomycin. Both VYTORIN and daptomycin can cause myopathy and rhabdomyolysis when given alone and the risk of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis may be increased by coadministration. Intervention: If treatment with daptomycin is required, consider temporarily suspending VYTORIN during the course of daptomycin treatment.

Mechanism: Both drugs can cause muscle damage on their own, so taking them together increases the risk of serious muscle breakdown.

moderate simvastatin

Daptomycin Clinical Impact: Cases of rhabdomyolysis have been reported with simvastatin administered with daptomycin. Both ezetimibe and simvastatin and daptomycin can cause myopathy and rhabdomyolysis when given alone and the risk of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis may be increased by coadministration. Intervention: If treatment with daptomycin is required, consider temporarily suspending ezetimibe and simvastatin during the course of daptomycin treatment.

Mechanism: Both drugs can cause muscle damage on their own, so taking them together increases the risk of severe muscle breakdown.

This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.

Common Questions

What if I am allergic to daptomycin?
You should not take daptomycin if you are allergic to it.
Can daptomycin affect my muscles?
Yes, daptomycin can cause muscle pain or weakness. Your doctor will check your CPK levels to monitor this.
What is CPK?
CPK stands for creatine phosphokinase, an enzyme found in your muscles. High levels can indicate muscle damage.
Can daptomycin cause diarrhea?
Yes, daptomycin can cause diarrhea, including diarrhea caused by Clostridioides difficile.
Does daptomycin interact with other medicines?
Yes, daptomycin can interact with some cholesterol medicines (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors). Tell your doctor about all medicines you take.
Can daptomycin affect my kidneys?
Yes, daptomycin can sometimes affect your kidneys. Your doctor will monitor your kidney function.
How long will I need to take daptomycin?
The length of treatment depends on the type of infection you have. Your doctor will decide how long you need to take it.
Can daptomycin cause nerve problems?
Yes, daptomycin can cause nerve problems (peripheral neuropathy) in rare cases.
What should I do if I get a rash while taking daptomycin?
Tell your doctor right away if you get a rash or other signs of an allergic reaction.
Can daptomycin affect blood tests?
Yes, daptomycin can affect some blood tests, like prothrombin time (PT) and INR. Your doctor will be aware of this when interpreting your results.
What are the common side effects of daptomycin?
The registry lists Diarrhea, Headache, Dizziness, Rash, Abnormal liver tests among the most-reported FAERS reaction terms for daptomycin. The compiled record contains 8,426 FDA adverse-event reports. These counts are not an individual symptom assessment.
Does daptomycin interact with other medications?
The registry has 3 documented interaction rows for daptomycin. Notable source-record pairings include ezetimibe, ezetimibe/simvastatin, simvastatin. These rows are not a complete medication review.
What drug class is daptomycin?
daptomycin belongs to the Lipopeptide Antibiotic drug class. It requires a prescription (Rx). Daptomycin treats complicated skin infections in adults and children ages 1-17.
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for daptomycin?
The FDA label for daptomycin contains product-specific pregnancy or breastfeeding language. PlainMeds does not apply that source text to an individual.
Has daptomycin been recalled?
There is 1 recall associated with daptomycin products. Lack of Assurance of Sterility; All lots of sterile products compounded by the pharmacy within expiry are subject to this recall. Check the recalls section below for full details and affected products.

Active Recalls

Class II May 15, 2014

Lack of Assurance of Sterility; All lots of sterile products compounded by the pharmacy within expiry are subject to this recall. This recall is initiated due to concerns associated with quality control procedures observed during a recent FDA inspection.

Franck's Lab Inc dba Trinity Care Solutions

Related Medications in Lipopeptide Antibiotic

Other drugs grouped near daptomycin - same-class peers and common alternatives.

amikacin

Amikin

Amikacin is an antibiotic medicine.

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amoxicillin

Amoxil

Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium is a combination medicine used to fight bacterial infections.

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amoxicillin/clavulanate

Augmentin

Augmentin is a combination of two medicines, amoxicillin and clavulanate.

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ampicillin/sulbactam

Unasyn

Unasyn is a combination of two antibiotics that fights bacteria in your body.

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azithromycin

Zithromax, Z-Pack

Azithromycin is an antibiotic that fights bacteria.

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Compare daptomycin vs amikacin side-by-side →

Compare beyond drug class

Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share

Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for daptomycin: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.

Similar FAERS report volume

Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 8,426.

4 peers

Similar death-report share

Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 14.05%.

4 peers

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What the FDA Data Shows for daptomycin

The FDA label for daptomycin (sold under brand names such as Cubicin) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Lipopeptide Antibiotic class. Daptomycin treats complicated skin infections in adults and children ages 1-17. Official labeling lists 20 commonly reported side effects, including Diarrhea, Headache, Dizziness.

Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 8,426 voluntary reports. The database also lists 3 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $17.94.

Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history (currently 1 recall record on file), and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.

Data Sources

Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).

FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.

Last updated: April 19, 2023

PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled and last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.

All federal data sources used on this page